Horizontal drilling machine



2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTQR D. M HOLLINGSWORTH BY ,j

AATTORNEY Dec. 5, 1939. D. M. HOLLINGSWORTH HORIZONTAL DRILLING MACHINE Filed oct. 26. 195s MW l, N,

Dec. 5, 1939. D. M. HOLLINGSWORTH 2,182,477

HORIZONTAL DRILLING MACHINE Filed oct. 26, 1938 2 sheets-sheet INVENTOR M HoLLaNsswoR-rH I fm?? ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 26,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a machine adapted for the drilling of horizontal holes in the earth under streets, railroad embankments, or the like, in

order to accommodate the laying of pipes for .1 fluids, or to serve as conduits for other purposes.

The primary purpose of my invention is to provide a machine which can be quickly set up and dismantled and will be labor saving, safe in operation, ineXpensive in cost, operation and upll keep, and speedy in its operation. A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction which is portable, so that when the drilling operation is completed the drilling mechanism and associated parts may be removed l5 from the pipe, within which said parts have been contained, and carried to another drilling job and quickly set up and ready for use. A still further object of the invention is to provide a cutting blade with vprojections on the outer face and an inclined scooped-shaped member secured to the inner face thereof for scooping up the loosened earth and dumping the same on an apron and from there onto a travelling conveyor for conveyance to the rear end of the tunnel being drilled. A still further object of the invention is to mount the drilling portion of my machine in the forward conduit section and to apply to theoutside end of the conduit section a force suicient to cause the drill to progress go-.through the earthy m-aterial, and at the same time advance the conduit section or sections. A still further object of the invention is to firmly support the drill as well as the flaring apron associated with the drill so that these parts may -not be displaced when the machine is operating. While horizontal drilling machines heretofore have been employed of the same general type as the one herein disclosed, I believe I am the first to show so few parts simply and ruggedly 40 constructed and so arranged as to be quickly and conveniently set up and dismantled and highly efficient in its operation at a minimum expense for labor, maintenance and upkeep.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the drilling end of the tunnel. Fig, 2 is a sectional elevation of the open end of the tunnel showing the pipe-jacking system. Fig. 3 is an end view of the drilling apparatus. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a vertical section taken on line 1-1 of Fig, 1.

1938, Serial No. 236,982

In the drawings; The earthy material through which the tunnel is drilled is indicated by the letter A, the piping or tubing for lining the tunnel by the letter B. This tubing is preferably of concrete sections, but other material for forming said tubing may be employed 'and of such diameter as generally used on such jobs. The mechanical conveyo'r C is of the apron type generally employed to convey material from one point to another. D are the supporting rollers for the conveyor C, and E are the supports for said rollers.

An electric motor (not shown) mounted in a box I6 is connected by cable II to a source of electrical power, (not shown), said box l0 is mounted on an angle support I2 extending across the interior of a pipe section B (see Figs. l and '1). The motor is connected to a reduction -gear in box Ill, all of which is of standard construction and no detailed showing of same or a description thereof is believed necessary. A shaft I3 connected to the motor projects from the box I and consists of appropriate lengths coupled together as shown at I4.

The shaft I3 is supported near its end where the drilling blade is carried by a member I (Figs. 1 and 3) which is hung, as at I6, from the inside top portion of a ring I1, which is mounted in the forward end of the first section of the piping B. The member I5 has a loop I8 which circles the shaft I3, (Fig. 1), to vertically support the same. I preferably employ three screwthreaded centering rods I9 having adjusting screws for maintaining said rods in operative position. The inner ends of the rods I9 abut against the inner forward face of the forward section of the piping B, as shown at 2 I, while the outer ends abut against a strap 22 which substantially circles the end of the shaft I3. By means of the rods I6 and the member I5 the forward end of the shaft I3 is securely held in fixed operative position within the pipe B.

A series of sweeps 23 is secured to the shaft I3 just to the rear of the strap 22, which sweeps serve to propel rearwardly the earthy material accumulating on the inclined apron 24, located at the forward bottom end of the piping B, and which apron is retained in position by the ring I1 which abuts against an annular projection 25 on the rear face of said apron 24.

Adrilling blade 26 is secured to the forward 50 end of the shaft I3 by means of a fastening plate 21 having a collar 28 secured on the outer end of the shaft I3. The blade is bolted to plate 21 by bolts 21. Teeth 29 are carried by the outer face of the blade 26 and are preferably hooked shaped 55 at their free ends, as shown in Fig. 5 to more effectively disengage the earthy material A against which the rotating blade 2g6 engages. A shovel-shaped member Sil is secured to the blade 25 near its outer extremity and on the side opposite the face from which the teeth 29 project. The purpose` of this member 3d is to cause the earthy material dislodged by the blade 26 to travel up the inclined apron 24 so that such material may be engaged by the sweeps 23 and thus moved rearwardly so as to discharge from the inner end of the apron 2d onto the travelling conveyor C, to be dumped from the opposite end of said conveyor C into any suitable receiving device. A bolt 8i projects from the forward end of the shaft i3 and has rotative engagement with the earthy material somewhat in advance of the rotating blade 26.

In Fig. 2 I illustrate the manner in which the piping B may be pressed forwardly by a jack B2 horizontally disposed against a block 33 pressing against an abutment 3d secured in a stable inanner, as against an earthen bank 35, or any other firm medium. The other end of the jack .iabuts against an L shaped structure 35, which has a stiifening arm 31 secured to the upper and lower extensions of the L-shaped structure 35. These members 32, 33, 34, and 36 are mounted for convenience in moving on a carriage 38. One face fof the structure 36 abuts against one end of the piping B, thus forcing, through the action of the jack 32, said piping forwardly, and through the mounting of the drilling mechanism in the forward section of the piping B, keeping such -`drilling mechanism in rm Contact with the earthy material to be removed,

By my simple construction and small number of parts the mechanism may be readily mounted in and disconnected from and removed from the piping B when the tunnel is completed. The ring i 'i' can, if desired, be made in sections so that it can be readily removed from the forward end of the forward piping section, but this is not essential, as said ring, can be removed without collapsing the same.

By my construction the equipment can be quickly and conveniently applied to and removed from each tunnelling job with a minimum amount of eifort.

I claim:

l. A tunnelling machine comprising a motor, a shaft connected to said motor, a drilling blade carried by said shaft, projecting members on the outer face of said drilling blade, means for main- .;taining said shaft in operative'position, an apron mounted adjacent said blade, a ring carried by the forward end of a piping section with which said tunnel is to be lined, said ring abutting against a projection on the outer face of said apron mounted adjacent said blade, a ring carried by the forward end of a piping section with which said tunnel is to be lined, a conveyor, and means for causing the material collecting upon said apron to move rearwardly thereon and to discharge therefrom upon said conveyor to be dumped from said conveyor at a desired point.

3. A tunnelling machine comprising a motor, a

`shaft connected to said motor, a drilling blade carried by said shaft, hooked projecting members on the outer face of said drilling blade, an `inclined scooped-shaped member on the inner face of said blade near its outer extremity, an apron mounted adjacent said blade, a ring carried by the forward end of a piping section with which said Vtunnel is to be lined, said ring abutting against a projection on the outer face of said apron, a member carried by said ring for retaining one end of said shaft in its lowermost vertical position with a series of associated members for holding said shaft in operative position, rotatable sweeps for causing the material collecting upon said apron to move rearwardly thereon and to discharge therefrom upon said conveyor to be dumped from said conveyor at a desired point.

4. A tunnelling machine comprising a motor, a shaft connected to said motor, a drilling blade carried by said shaft, hooked projecting members on the outer face of said drilling blade, an inclined scooped-shaped member on the inner face of said blade near its outer extremity, an apron mounted adjacent said blade, a ring carried by the forward end of a piping section with which said tunnel is to be lined, said ring abutting against a projection on the outer face of said apron, a member carried by said ring for retaining one end of said shaft in its lowermost vertical position with a series of associated members for holding said shaft in operative position, and rotatable sweeps for causing the material collecting upon said apron to move rearwardly thereon and to discharge therefrom upony said conveyor to be dumped from said conveyor at a desired point and means for forwardly advancing said piping section as the tunnel is drilled.

DENZIL M. HOLLINGSWORTH 

